SCVTHS Students Send Out a Laboratory Safety Survey to Members of Their Chapter

Saanvi, Shreya, and Kushi began their Shop/Laboratory Health and Safety Checklist project by carrying out a safety inspection in the laboratory on March 5, 2026. The objective of the project was to evaluate the safety procedures in the laboratory and ascertain if the appropriate health and safety procedures were being followed. Since the laboratory involves the use of equipment, materials, and procedures that may pose potential hazards, the chapter recognized the need to identify the risks and ensure the development of a safe working environment for the students in the Academy for Health and Medical Sciences laboratory environment.

The interest in the project came from the discussion on laboratory safety and the role of students working in an environment with specific equipment and materials. The students realized the need to ensure that, despite the environment, the safety procedures must be well understood and followed. Thus, the chapter agreed on the need to carry out the safety inspection and the development of the health and safety checklist to ensure that the students understand the appropriate laboratory safety procedures and are more responsible in the laboratory environment.

In order to prepare for the project, the Health and Safety Committee researched laboratory safety standards, utilizing guidelines from the OSHA Small Business Safety and Health Handbook to create a unique Shop/Laboratory Health and Safety Checklist. The checklist was created to evaluate all aspects of laboratory safety, which include laboratory conditions in general and the safe use of equipment and machinery. The checklist is a systematic tool to evaluate potential hazards and to evaluate whether safety procedures are being correctly followed by the students. After sending out the checklist to the students, the committee met to discuss the results of the inspection. While reviewing the results of the checklist, Saanvi, Shreya, and Kushi presented their results and discussed them in terms of areas where safety awareness among laboratory members could be improved.

Based on the findings from the inspection, the committee concluded that further educational measures needed to be taken to ensure the enforcement of safe laboratory practices. In response to the need for corrective action, the committee decided to implement a health and safety quiz for all laboratory members to determine their knowledge regarding laboratory safety procedures. The committee designed a professional and comprehensive questionnaire that would measure the knowledge of students regarding appropriate laboratory safety procedures.

In addition to the health and safety quiz, the committee also designed and posted safety rules for the laboratory that were readily accessible for all students. These safety rules were intended to convey the importance of safety to all students and act as a reminder regarding appropriate safety procedures. Overall, the project helped increase awareness regarding safety within the laboratory, encouraged responsible behavior within the laboratory, and provided all students with a better understanding of the importance of providing safe working conditions within the laboratory.